Using Aluminum Tape or Metallic Mylar on Swords. Help Please!

So I know it seems easy and to many it very well be but I am having a very frustrating time using aluminum tape or Metallic Mylar (monokote) on a sword that I am modifying. It’s a geometry or an order of operations problem. The sword I am modifying has a deep fuller and the blade itself is kind of fat. It’s a practice sword so the edges are round and even the the tip when it comes to a point it’s fat and rounded on the sides. So it’s difficult to use one long piece on the blade. I can work out the fuller geometry just fine using an exacto to avoid bubbles and wrinkles but I still think it could look better but around the tip is where it gets dodgy. For the life of me I can’t figure out a neat way to eliminate/minimize wrinkles around the tip. I want this to be a show piece and I want it to be as “clean” as possible. I love the way monokote and aluminum tape look and I really dont want to have to use paint because I don’t know I can’t achieve the... “shinyness” I am looking for. I don’t know if I explained my problem clear enough, I hope that I did. I posted some pics of the sword and maybe it will give you all an idea of what I’m trying to describe. Please let me know if I can provide more info because I’m not sure how else’s to describe the issues I’m having.





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Why don't you use extra wide aluminum tape and do one half at a time, cleanly pressing it and smoothing it out, flip it over, repeat. Once both sides are smooth, you can press the excess on the sides together, all the way around the outside and the tip. You can then score it all off very neatly with an exacto. Can't say it will be perfect but might work

https://www.amazon.com/JVCC-AF20-Aluminum-Foil-Linered/dp/B0057Z9K1I?th=1&psc=1

tubachris85x said:

Why don't you use extra wide aluminum tape and do one half at a time, cleanly pressing it and smoothing it out, flip it over, repeat. Once both sides are smooth, you can press the excess on the sides together, all the way around the outside and the tip. You can then score it all off very neatly with an exacto. Can't say it will be perfect but might work

https://www.amazon.com/JVCC-AF20-Aluminum-Foil-Linered/dp/B0057Z9K1I?th=1&psc=1

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Thanks for the reply. But sadly I have tried that a few times. Its because the tip gradually narrows and then is rounded. I will take a better picture tomorrow of the tip. It’s not flat it’s really round. I suppose the best way I can describe the geometry would be like a wine bottle. So a wine thin bottle that kind of comes to a tip.

Also maybe the aluminum tape I have is unusually thick but I switched to the monokote because the aluminum tape is tough to mold to the fuller. Maybe I should try a get a thinner tape.

As a non-fan of the baked potato look, I say ditch it. There are plenty of paints that will give a much better finish. For instance, Ace Rust Stop Aluminum spray is damn near a mirror finish if you do it right. And hey, aluminum. Depending on what type of plastic that is, you might want to hit it with adhesion promoter first.

-Rog

Rogviler said:

As a non-fan of the baked potato look, I say ditch it. There are plenty of paints that will give a much better finish. For instance, Ace Rust Stop Aluminum spray is damn near a mirror finish if you do it right. And hey, aluminum. [emoji4] Depending on what type of plastic that is, you might want to hit it with adhesion promoter first.

-Rog

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Yea I have been leaning towards a paint or a paint system. My hesitation comes from how good 95% (pics below) of the blade looks with the exception of the tip. If this was for a stage show or a con I would say it’s perfect. But I’m making it for display so that “baked potato” look at the tip (I like that analogy) doesn’t work for me. So I’m probably gonna end up using paint.

It’s polypropylene so I’m probably gonna have to use a primer.




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I'm confident that you can achieve the same look (but smooth) with the paint I mentioned, and definitely if you wanted to go to a Spaz Stix or Alclad. The caveat is that paint on polypropylene isn't going to be something you'd want to handle much. I'd go adhesion promoter, then primer, then the topcoat. Also, no clear unless you go with a paint system that has one specifically designed for it. Otherwise it generally ruins the effect.

-Rog

Rogviler said:

I'm confident that you can achieve the same look (but smooth) with the paint I mentioned, and definitely if you wanted to go to a Spaz Stix or Alclad. The caveat is that paint on polypropylene isn't going to be something you'd want to handle much. I'd go adhesion promoter, then primer, then the topcoat. Also, no clear unless you go with a paint system that has one specifically designed for it. Otherwise it generally ruins the effect.

-Rog

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Would you recommend lightly sanding at all with a high grit sand paper? I don’t plan on handling this too much. It’s really going to be a display piece. I’m not a Cosplayer, I don’t LARP, it’s just gonna be on my wall for people to look at. It’s hopefully gonna be Longclaw from Game of Thrones.

I would do a 3M scuff pad (the green is sold for cleaning dishes, but I prefer the red if you can find it, usually near the sandpaper), and a thorough cleaning with degreaser or at least alcohol. The only reason I would avoid sandpaper is because that plastic tends to make fuzzies rather than dust and you want it to be as smooth as possible for the effect to work.

-Rog

Rogviler said:

I would do a 3M scuff pad (the green is sold for cleaning dishes, but I prefer the red if you can find it, usually near the sandpaper), and a thorough cleaning with degreaser or at least alcohol. The only reason I would avoid sandpaper is because that plastic tends to make fuzzies rather than dust and you want it to be as smooth as possible for the effect to work.

-Rog

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Awesome thanks! Krylon makes a spray specifically for polypropylene and plastics. Now the Krylon “Fusion” metallic sliver doesn’t look that great in my opinion. However if used the “Fusion” matte gray or white as a primer, then a grey gloss, and then a good chrome, silver, or aluminum metallic would that work?

I haven’t used it but the Krylon claims their “Fusion” paint requires no priming on polypropylene plastics. So in theory wouldn’t a matte Fusion make a good primer for polypropylene or again in theory because it says I don’t need to prime, if I go right to a gloss coat before the metallic coat?


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I've not used the Fusion for that so I don't know. I did use it on some ABS and wasn't any more impressed with it than regular spray paint. But if it says it will do the job I'd try it. I would always prep the surface, no matter what the advertisement says. Also, be careful mixing different paints. Always test first.

-Rog

I have used both Krylon (think they ditched the Fusion in name only) and the Rust-Oleum 2x Coverage "also bonds to plastic" on a number of different plastics to a great hard/resilient finish. Only thing that ever gave me issues was resins. They don't like most casting resins.

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